Two races, Ellen vs Blyth

Only 6 days after Sir Chay Blyths announcement of delaying the Global Challenge Yacht Race in 2008/2009 seemingly indefinitely due to lack of sponsorship, OC Events, established by Dame Ellen MacArthur and Mark Turner, have officialy opened the books to new two handed challenge, the Barcelona World Race. It seems that it's not only Formula 1 that is experiencing a bumpy ride in organising and financing top level racing, but it seems that Ellen and OC Events are certainly in a commanding position right now.

With only so much money going around for already a marginalised and expensive sport such as sailing, adding another large race on the calendar, may have already sealed the fate for the Global Challenge. What was once billed as "The World's Toughest Yacht Race", might have just become "The World Toughest Yacht Race to Organise". Check out this footage taken during the race in the year 2000, ( from YouTube) rough weather sailing

With the publication of the Notice of Race (NOR), entries are now officially open for the Barcelona World Race, which will take place 11th November 2007. Ellen features here in a video preview of the Americas Cup 2007

The Barcelona World Race course will be the classic non-stop east-about (with the prevailing winds) round the world route with a start and finish at Barcelona – i.e. from Barcelona sail around the world via the Southern Ocean and the three Capes (passing Cape of Good Hope first, then Cape Leuwin and then Cape Horn) and returning to Barcelona.

The principle of the Barcelona World Race was established at the launch in October 2005 and is re-iterated as one of the foundations of the Notice of Race: The Vendée Globe is seen as the most significant professional race in solo ocean racing. The Volvo Ocean Race is regarded as one of the most significant race in professional fully crewed ocean racing. The Barcelona World Race aims to bridge the gap between the two – creating a third pinnacle to sit alongside these two great races.

The organisational structure of the race includes OC Events who are managing the race on behalf of the Fundacio per Navegacio Oceania (FNO), a Catalan foundation which groups together the four key events-related parties in Barcelona city – the Barcelona City Council, the Barcelona Port Authority, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and Fira de Barcelona (who organise 80 trade fairs a year including the Barcelona Boat Show for a total of 30,000+ exhibitors and 3.5m+ visitors a year). FNO is the official Organising Authority, and FNO has delegated the operational running of the events to OC Events. The Barcelona Boat Show is staged every November and the participants in the Barcelona World Race will be berthed at the 2007 Barcelona Boat Show and will give visitors to the show a unique visual display of these ‘ocean-going greyhounds’.

The 2007 Rolex Fastnet, already part of the IMOCA racing calendar for the 2007, will act as the official prologue to the race. The 630-mile Fastnet Race (starting Sunday, 5th August 2007) from Cowes, Isle of Wight to Plymouth via Fastnet Rock will see all the confirmed entries in the Barcelona World Race competing in this classic event and for the majority of entries participation in the Fastnet will preclude any additional qualification passage.

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